Salatul Istikhara Dua in English: Full Text and Meaning

There are moments every Muslim encounters where both paths look reasonable, and trusting your own judgment feels insufficient. A marriage proposal. An unexpected career opportunity. A life-changing relocation. The deen meets you in exactly those moments with a remarkable gift: a direct conversation with Allah about which direction to take.

The Salatul Istikhara dua is that conversation. It was taught by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to his companions with the same deliberate care he gave to teaching a surah of the Quran — not as an occasional recourse, but as a regular practice for anyone facing genuine uncertainty.

What Is the Salatul Istikhara Dua in English?

The Salatul Istikhara dua is a supplication in which a Muslim asks Allah to determine what is best in a specific matter, narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1166. It follows two voluntary rakats of prayer and contains two distinct requests: ordain the matter if it is good for your religion, livelihood and future; turn it away and turn you away from it if it is harmful. It is among the most complete acts of tawakkul (توكل, reliance on Allah) in the entire prophetic tradition.

The Complete Salatul Istikhara Dua

The following is the full text as narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari. When reciting, replace the Arabic phrase hadha al-amr ("this matter") with the actual decision you are seeking guidance on — you may do this in Arabic or in your own language.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي بِهِ

Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi 'ilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika, wa as'aluka min fadhlika al-'azim. Fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa la a'lam, wa anta 'allamu al-ghuyub.

Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha al-amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri, faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li thumma barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha al-amra sharrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri, fasrifhu 'anni wasrifni 'anhu, waqdur li al-khayr haythu kana thumma ardini bih.

Full English translation:

"O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek ability through Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of all hidden things.

O Allah, if in Your knowledge this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if in Your knowledge this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it. And ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me pleased with it."

Understanding What the English Words Mean

The dua divides naturally into two halves that build on each other.

"I Seek Your Guidance Through Your Knowledge"

The opening — Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi 'ilmika — begins with a radical acknowledgment: Allah's knowledge is infinite and perfect; ours is limited and partial. We cannot see what a path holds five years from now. We do not know which option carries hidden harm. The dua begins by naming this truth before making any request.

Wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika ("I seek ability through Your power") adds a second dimension. The dua is not merely asking for information — it is asking Allah to act on our behalf, to use His power to facilitate what is good and block what is harmful. This is the core of tawakkul (توكل): not passive waiting, but placing active trust in Allah's management of what you cannot control.

Wa anta 'allamu al-ghuyub — "You are the Knower of all hidden things." The Arabic word ghuyub (الْغُيُوبِ) is the plural of ghayb (unseen). It encompasses everything beyond human perception: future consequences, hidden motivations, what a relationship will become three years from now. Allah knows all of it. We know none of it. The dua is, at its root, an honest statement of that relationship.

"Ordain the Good Wherever It May Be"

The most profound phrase in the entire dua comes at the very end: waqdur li al-khayr haythu kana thumma ardini bih — "Ordain for me the good wherever it may be, and make me pleased with it."

Notice what is not said. The dua does not ask for the outcome you prefer. It asks for the good — wherever it happens to be — and then asks for contentment with whatever Allah decrees. The word ardini (أَرْضِنِي), "make me pleased," is the heart of Islamic qadar. After you have consulted, deliberated, and prayed, you ask Allah not just to decide well on your behalf, but to give your heart peace with His decision.

How to Perform Salatul Istikhara

There is no required dream to receive. As Imam an-Nawawi and other classical scholars explain, the guidance manifests in what unfolds: the path toward what is good becomes accessible, and obstacles appear on the path toward what would harm you.

What the Quran and Sunnah Teach About Seeking Guidance

The practice of istikhara rests on a Quranic command that the Prophet ﷺ embodied in his own leadership:

وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ

"Consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, rely upon Allah." — (Surah Al-Imran, 3:159)

This ayah establishes the prophetic sequence: deliberate, consult, then place your full trust in Allah. Salatul Istikhara is the spiritual dimension of that sequence. It does not replace human thinking — it completes it.

The Prophet ﷺ also said, as narrated by Jabir: "If any of you is concerned about a matter, let him pray two rakats of non-obligatory prayer, then say..." The instruction was not conditional on having exhausted all human reasoning first. It was simply the Muslim's first move when facing a genuine choice.

For a broader understanding of how to approach dua in daily life, see the DeenUp guide on how to make dua properly. For the Arabic istikhara dua in full detail, see the dua for istikhara reference.

Allah commands you to seek knowledge

“My Lord, increase me in knowledge” (Surah Ta-Ha 20:114). DeenUp turns that command into a daily habit — a swipeable feed of bite-sized, scholar-approved Islamic lessons, quick quizzes, and daily streaks.

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Making Istikhara a Consistent Practice

The most common mistake Muslims make with istikhara is timing — turning to it only when a decision can no longer be avoided, rather than as the first spiritual response to any significant choice. When you are already emotionally attached to one outcome, performing istikhara becomes harder because part of you is not fully open.

A few practical shifts help:

• Pray it early, before attachment forms. When a matter first presents itself as a genuine option, that is the right moment — not after you have told everyone what you are planning.
• Pair it with shura (consultation). The Prophet ﷺ praised seeking counsel from people of wisdom and experience. Istikhara and shura are not alternatives to each other. They work together: consult those who know the situation, then bring the decision before Allah.
• Release the need for a sign. Most people expect a dream or a strong feeling. Scholars across madhabs consistently say this expectation is not part of the sunnah. Proceed with whichever path seems clearer after honest reflection.
• Repeat if uncertain. Some scholars, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, suggested up to seven repetitions for the same matter if genuine uncertainty persists.

For the complete step-by-step guide on performing the prayer, see how to perform istikhara. For those who want to learn the dua in phonetic English letters, our salatul istikhara dua transliteration guide breaks down every phrase.

External perspectives on building the daily supplication habit: DeenBack on daily dhikr habits and Demi Manifest on trusting Allah through hardship. For the scholarly hadith text in full, see Sahih al-Bukhari 1166 on sunnah.com.

Related Duas for Seeking Guidance

For a broader collection of related supplications, see the DeenUp guide on dua for guidance.

Closing Reflection

The last phrase of the Salatul Istikhara dua — thumma ardini bih, "then make me pleased with it" — reveals something essential about the Islamic understanding of decision-making. After consulting, deliberating, and praying, you are not asking Allah to give you what you want. You are asking Him to give you the good, and then to give your heart the gift of contentment with His choice.

This is the dua of genuine surrender. It is also, practically speaking, one of the most freeing acts a Muslim can perform — because it releases the anxiety of needing to get the decision exactly right, and places that responsibility exactly where it belongs.

Allah commands you to seek knowledge

“My Lord, increase me in knowledge” (Surah Ta-Ha 20:114). DeenUp turns that command into a daily habit — a swipeable feed of bite-sized, scholar-approved Islamic lessons, quick quizzes, and daily streaks.

Download DeenUp on the App Store